1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sulphonamide compound, processes and intermediates used in their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use in therapy.
2. Description of Related Art
Certain sulphonamide compounds are known in the art, for example see GB2295616, US patent 2002143024, WO 01/44239, EP 749964 and Esche, J; Wojahn, H. Arch. Pharm. (1966), 299(2), 147-153.
Chemokines play an important role in immune and inflammatory responses in various diseases and disorders, including asthma and allergic diseases, as well as autoimmune pathologies such as rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis. These small-secreted molecules are a growing superfamily of 8-14 kDa proteins characterised by a conserved four cysteine motif. At the present time, the chemokine superfamily comprises three groups exhibiting characteristic structural motifs, the Cys-X-Cys (C—X—C), Cys-Cys (C—C) and Cys-X3-Cys (C—X3—C) families. The C—X—C and C—C families have sequence similarity and are distinguished from one another on the basis of a single amino acid insertion between the NH-proximal pair of cysteine residues. The C—X3—C family is distinguished from the other two families on the basis of having a triple amino acid insertion between the NH-proximal pair of cysteine residues.
The C—X—C chemokines include several potent chemoattractants and activators of neutrophils such as interleukin-8 (IL-8) and neutrophil-activating peptide 2 (NAP-2).
The C—C chemokines include potent chemoattractants of monocytes and lymphocytes but not neutrophils. Examples include human monocyte chemotactic proteins 1-3 (MCP-1, MCP-2 and MCP-3), RANTES (Regulated on Activation, Normal T Expressed and Secreted), eotaxin and the macrophage inflammatory proteins 1α and 1β (MIP-1α and MIP-1β), Thymus and Activation Regulated Chemokine (TARC, CCL17) and Macrophage Derived Chemokine (MDC, CCL22).
The C—X3—C chemokine (also known as fractalkine) is a potent chemoattractant and activator of microglia in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as of monocytes, T cells, NK cells and mast cells.
Studies have demonstrated that the actions of chemokines are mediated by subfamilies of G protein-coupled receptors, among which are the receptors designated CCR1, CCR2, CCR2A, CCR2B, CCR3, CCR4, CCR5, CCR6, CCR7, CCR8, CCR9, CCR10 and CCR11 (for the C—C family); CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR3, CXCR4 and CXCR5 (for the C—X—C family) and CX3CR1 for the C—X3—C family. These receptors represent good targets for drug development since agents which modulate these receptors would be useful in the treatment of disorders and diseases such as those mentioned above.